Today is July 11, the Memorial of Saint Benedict, Abbot.
We read at today’s Mass, “‘Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves'” (Mt 10:16).
That line describes St. Benedict perfectly — a man who founded an entire movement by combining wisdom and humility. But it also brings to mind Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati.
Pier Giorgio wasn’t afraid to live his faith boldly. Though gentle in spirit, he stood with clarity and conviction. In today’s world, living that way — meek and courageous — is like being a sheep among wolves. But Pier Giorgio shows us it’s possible. And part of what gave him that strength was the way he encountered God in nature, especially in the mountains.
A sacred space
The mountains weren’t an escape for Pier Giorgio. They were a sacred space. In a letter to his friend Marco, he once wrote, “With each day that passes, I fall more and more in love with the mountains. If it weren’t for my studies, I would spend entire days up in the pure mountain air, contemplating the greatness of the Creator.”
There’s a difference between distraction and restoration. Pier Giorgio didn’t go to the mountains to avoid life — he went to be refreshed, to pray, to draw close to the one who made them. The silence, the grandeur, the effort it took to climb — all of it became part of his conversation with God.
We see that pattern in Scripture too: Moses encounters God on Sinai. Elijah hears the whisper on Horeb. Jesus himself often retreats to the mountains to pray.
So here’s the invitation today: Get outside. Take in a vista. Watch a sunrise. But don’t go looking just for a photo or a story — go to meet God. Let nature be what it was for Pier Giorgio: a window into the divine, a place where the soul is lifted.
Let us pray,
O God, who made the Abbot Saint Benedict an outstanding master in the school of divine service, grant, we pray, that, putting nothing before love of you, we may hasten with a loving heart in the way of your commands. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
